The Lost Son
by Mysterious Miss
Summary: What if the people of Konoha didn't know that the Kyuubi was sealed in Naruto? How would it change Naruto if he grew up without the fear and hatred that came with being a jinchuuriki? How would Konoha change if the Fourth Hokage was still alive?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: ~I don't own Naruto~

AN: Sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes (I hate commas and they hate me!). Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated (like telling me if I should continue with this story or if this story sucks and I should just stop). I'll also try to work on making the chapters longer because I know that I write short chapters.

**Prologue **

"I guess this is goodbye, Sarutobi-sama," said the Fourth Hokage with a sad smile. They were both standing in the Hokage's office where Minato had just explained that he was going to seal the Kyuubi into his own son.

"I'm afraid it is Minato," Sarutobi said as he walked up to Minato. "I hope you can forgive me."

"Wha-?" was all Minato said before Sarutobi hit a nerve in the back of his neck, knocking him out instantly. The recently retired Third Hokage caught Minato before he hit the ground and put him on the couch that was beside the wall. _'I hope you'll understand that this is for the best,'_ Sarutobi thought while getting the items he needed for the sealing of the Kyuubi. _'You're still in your prime with so much to offer this world and you have a wife and newborn son to take care of. I am old and I have seen and done many things, it's my time to go. I will gladly die to keep you and the people of this village safe.'_

Once Sarutobi had everything he needed gathered, he took one last look at the unconscious Hokage and left the Hokage Tower, making his way towards the hospital.

---

The Third Hokage walked through the front door of the Konoha Hospital. It was chaos. There were nurses and doctors running back and forth yelling out orders. Injured ninja were being brought in by med-nins and other ninja who couldn't continue stalling the Kyuubi.

Sarutobi brushed by all the chaos that was happening on the first floor of the hospital and made his way to the fourth floor. He saw that the whole floor was empty of hospital personnel except for one nurse who was sitting behind a desk.

Sarutobi went up to the desk and asked, "What room is Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze in?"

The nurse, whose nametag said Naomi, looked up in surprise but then began going through the papers that were on the desk quickly. She stopped shuffling through the paper and pulled one out.

"Ah here it is, she's in room 442. That's down the main hall and to the left," Naomi said before putting the paper back in one of the stacks.

"Thank you," said Sarutobi.

Once he found the right room, he knocked on the door before opening it slightly.

"Kushina?" he called out into the room, but when no one answered he opened the door completely and went in. It was a standard hospital room. White walls, white sheets, white floors and ceilings, basically white everywhere. On the only bed in the room there was a woman with long, red hair asleep. Beside her bed was a small crib that held a sleeping infant with bright, blond hair. The Third Hokage quickly and quietly made his way across the room to the crib. As he started to pick up the small baby, the baby's blue eyes opened.

The baby smiled and started gurgling at Third Hokage. Out of the corner of his eye, Sarutobi saw that Kushina was starting to stir. He rocked the baby to quiet him down and left the room when he saw that Kushina wasn't waking up.

---

Minato slowly started to wake up. At first, when he opened his eyes, everything was blurry but as soon as his vision cleared up, he recognized that he was in his office

"Oww… what the hell happened?" Minato said as he sat up and began to look around his office.

"The last thing I remember is… the Kyuubi!" Minato said. He then got up and looked out the window of his office. There was no giant fox in the distance. It was still dark out but it was starting to get lighter signaling that it was almost dawn.

"Sarutobi knocked me out. He wouldn't have…. He didn't…. He… He knocked me out and then… he sealed the fox," Minato said in a whisper as he rubbed the back of his neck where Sarutobi had hit him.

The Fourth Hokage turned and left his office. He was going to find out what exactly happened and then he would go to the hospital to check on his wife and son.

---

After some checking around, Minato was able to confirm that the Third Hokage did seal the Kyuubi into his son. He found some ninjas who were near Sarutobi when he completed the sealing. As soon as the fox disappeared, the Third Hokage fell to the ground and in his arms was a crying baby. Apparently, while most of the ninja were helping the injured and covering those who had died, one ninja brought his son back to the hospital.

Right now Minato was on his way to the hospital. As he approached the building he decided to take one of the back entrances since there were many people going into and out of the main doors to the hospital. Once he reached the fourth floor, he didn't bother asking what room his wife was in because he already knew the room she was in.

When Minato opened the door he saw Kushina sitting up on the bed. She was looking out the window and she didn't notice him come in. Minato quietly came over and sat down on the bed beside her. She jumped a little and when she saw that it was him a small smile appeared on her face. Kushina hugged him and he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

The Fourth Hokage looked around the room but he didn't see his son. With a sudden feeling of dread, he was about to ask Kushina if she knew where their son was, when he heard his wife ask, "So, where is our son? Where is Naruto?"

Panic seized Minato when he realized that their son, Naruto, never made it back to the hospital.

"I'll go find him, then I'll come back," Minato said. He didn't want to worry Kushina. He was probably being pessimistic or something. Their son was probably in another room or someone else, a nurse maybe, was watching Naruto until he came to get him.

---

He searched the entire hospital and asked all the hospital personnel if they knew where his son was. Naruto was missing. He wasn't in the hospital. Minato also looked in the Hokage Tower, just to see if someone had brought Naruto there, thinking that Minato was waiting in his office. He called what ANBU he could, the ones who weren't guarding the gates of Konoha or helping with the aftermath of the Kyuubi's attack, to find his son. Naruto was nowhere to be found.

Right now he was standing in front of the door to Kushina's hospital room. He knocked on the door. When he heard a soft "enter" he opened the door and went in the room.

Kushina was sitting in the same spot, looking at Minato as he walked into the room and shut the door behind him.

"Where's Naruto? I thought you said you were going to bring him with you. I bet he's getting hungry," Kushina said. Minato sat down beside his wife and put his arm around her, pulling her into a hug.

"Minato-kun? What are you-"

"I'm sorry Kushina-chan, but… we can't seem to find Naruto," Minato said.

"What?… What do you mean 'can't seem to find him'? Minato-kun, if this is some sort of twisted attempt at humor, it's not funny. Please, just tell me where my… where our son is."

"I don't know. I've searched and I have ANBU searching but we can't find him. I don't know where he is," said Minato as he held his wife closer to him when he saw the tears in her eyes. Kushina started to shake and then she was crying on Minato's shoulder. Minato leaned his head down onto Kushina's shoulder and shut his eyes while thinking, _'I'll find you my son, I swear I'll find you.'_

---

AN: So, what do you think? Please review.


	2. Chapter One: My Name

Disclaimer: ~I don't own Naruto~

AN: Sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes (I hate commas and they hate me!). Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated (like telling me if I should continue with this story or if this story sucks and I should just stop). I'll also try to work on making the chapters longer because I know that I write short chapters.

**Chapter One: My Name**

As days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, the Village of Konoha had started to put the Kyuubi incident behind them. Architects were putting the finishing touches on building that needed to be reconstructed after facing the attack of the nine-tailed demon. Missions were being completed and the confidence and happiness of the village was coming back after suffering the losses that occurred on October 10th.

One couple, however, wasn't doing as well. After keeping the search up for their son months after he disappeared, Minato and Kushina accepted that their son, Naruto, wasn't coming home. Minato called off the search for his son, allowing the ninjas who were searching to go back to doing other missions. Both Kushina and Minato kept an eye out for him, but they knew that finding him now, months after he disappeared, was next to impossible. They didn't want to think about it, but their son was probably dead.

---

**~About Seven Years After The Kyuubi Attack~**

"You think you're tough. Don't ya, Whiskers? Maybe if ya just learned to listen to us, we wouldn't have to knock some sense into ya," said a boy that looked to be around the age of nine, as he pushed down the kid in front of him. Behind the boy were some other kids around the same age, cheering on the boy who was talking. Any other children in the area were ignoring what was going on because they didn't want to be next in line for the bullies to pick on. The kid on the ground looked up with anger at the one who pushed him down.

"Come in if you want your supper brats," called one of the caretakers at the orphanage.

Almost all of the children began to rush towards the doors to get inside; the only exception was the kid who was pushed down to the ground. As the boy slowly got to his feet he was thinking, _'I'm tired of being made fun of. I'm tired of eating gruel or that mystery meat. I'm tired of being ignored. I want to leave this place. Heh… I don't think anyone would even notice I'm gone. If they did they probably wouldn't care. It would just be one less mouth to feed…. I'm gonna leave. I'll make it on my own.'_

The child began walking away from the orphanage and decided to walk in the direction he thought the park would be in. _'I'll find somewhere to sleep at in the park, then tomorrow morning, I'll figure out what I'm going to do.'_

If someone were in the park they would have seen a small boy, roughly around the age of six or possibly seven looking around the playground equipment. The small boy had blue eyes with a black bandana on his head that was covering his short, blond hair. On his each of his cheeks were three black lines that looked like whisker marks. He was wearing a plain white shirt that was visibly dirty and dark gray, knee-length shorts.

The boy finally settled down on a bench that was between two trees. When he lay down on the bench, he saw the last rays of the sun disappearing and the stars were beginning to come out. As he closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep, his stomach growled. _'Oh man, I skipped dinner and now I'm really hungry! I have no food, no home, no money, and no clothes except the ones I have on right now… Wait no food, no home, no money… that means I'm a like hobo now. I know I tend to act without thinking about the consequences, but, damn, I really didn't think this through. I guess I could always go back, but I really don't want to go back there. Oh well, I think about it more tomorrow.'_

And with that last thought in mind, the young boy fell into an uneasy sleep.

---

It was around eight in the morning and many businesses were already up and running. People were out shopping and getting breakfast. There were a few ninjas jumping on the rooftops to get to where they needed to be without getting caught in the crowds of civilians.

One civilian was just beginning to open his ramen stand for the day, like he usually does. He ran the stand with the help of his daughter, Ayame, who was fourteen. His daughter would take orders and get the drinks while he made the ramen. His daughter had started helping him this past year. He use to run the stand with his wife but, because of complication during childbirth, she died. The first few years after his wife died were hard. He had to keep the stand running while taking care of his young daughter by himself. He enjoyed the past year so far, running the stand with his daughter, even though his daughter works part-time.

That morning, as he opened the stand, he thought he heard a noise in the alleyway so he turned to check it out. He thought it was a cat or maybe a dog scrounging for some scraps near the dumpsters and he would shoo it away. He didn't need something that could have rabies or something near his daughter or his ramen stand. Slouched down on the ground in the alleyway was the last thing Teuchi expected to see. It was obviously a child, but what would a child be doing sitting down in an alleyway. Deciding to see what the kid was doing in the alleyway instead of being with his parents or at home, Teuchi stepped towards the child. _'Maybe the kid is lost?' _As he began to walk toward the child he stepped on some type of wrapper that made a crinkling noise, alerting the child to his presence.

---

When the child with the whisker marks woke up on the bench the previous morning, he looked around and saw that he hadn't been discovered. The first thing on his mind was exploring the rest of Konoha to find something to eat. He knew that stealing was wrong, but as the day wore on, the child decided to get some fruit from one of the stands when no one was looking. At least, he thought no one was looking. When he got caught and was asked to pay for the fruit, he hightailed it out of there. The same thing kept happening for the rest of the day. _'I guess I was lucky that no ninja or police were around whenever I got caught. I'm also lucky that people underestimate how fast I can run. I still haven't gotten anything to eat and the sun is already setting. I guess I'll just head back to the park. If I can remember the way, that is.'_

It was the next day and the sun had already risen. The blue-eyed child was already trying to get himself some food. He was really, really hungry. He thought that the adults would be tired or slower in the morning and they wouldn't see him sneaking the food. Well he found out that he thought wrong. They were alert and they somehow managed to see him. He ran for a while and decided to take a break to think of a plan to get food without anyone seeing him. The child saw an alleyway to his left and decided to sit down in there. So far none of his plans to get food had worked and he was getting angry and frustrated. He picked up a rock and chucked it at the wall in front of him to release some of his pent up anger. He realized that throwing rocks at walls wouldn't get him anywhere and he might get caught and taken back to the orphanage. Just as he was about to get up and go somewhere else he heard someone coming closer to him. He looked up and saw it was a man wearing a cook's outfit. He was getting ready to run when the man began to speak.

"Hey, what's you're name?" the man asked. When he saw that the child wasn't going to answer he decided to say something else. It seemed that the child was on edge for some reason.

"Well, my name's Teuchi. Are you lost? Where are your parents?"

The child hesitated, debating whether to answer the question or run. After a few moments, he decided to answer, seeing that the man, Teuchi, meant no harm.

"I know where I am and I don't have any parents. And no! I won't go back to the orphanage. I'm doing fine all by myself," the child declared before his stomach gave a loud rumble. The child then gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, while chuckling nervously when Teuchi raised an eyebrow.

'_Poor kid'_ "Why don't you come with me to my ramen stand and I'll get you something to eat."

"I don't have any money mister."

"I'll give you the meal for free. I can tell you need a good meal, so come on kid, let's get you something to eat," Teuchi said while gesturing towards his ramen stand. The child smiled and nodded his head while standing up. As the kid walked beside Teuchi toward the ramen stand, Teuchi said, "By the way, I never got your name and I can't just call you kid."

"I was called Whiskers at the orphanage but I don't like it. You can call me kid. I don't mind."

_'Whiskers?'_ Teuchi thought._ 'Well, I guess those lines on his face do look like whiskers. But seriously, calling a kid Whiskers?'_

"How about we find a name you do like while you eat your ramen. Okay kid?" Teuchi asked.

"Sure. Sounds fine to me," the child said while shrugging his shoulders.

---

"Hey old man! What are these? They're really good," the boy said while pointing to something in the ramen bowl.

'_I'm not that old!_' "It's called naruto, it's a type of fishcake," Teuchi said while preparing more ramen

"Well, I like it!"

"Why don't we call you Naruto?" Teuchi suggested.

"FISHCAKE?! You seriously expect me to want to be named after A FISHCAKE?!" the small boy exclaimed.

"Now, now… it also means maelstrom. Besides you've turned down all the other names I've suggested."

"Maelstrom…I guess that's pretty cool. And naruto is really good… Hey old man! You can call me Naruto for now," the blue-eyed boy said with a smile on his face.

"All right. So, Naruto, do you want one more bowl?" Teuchi asked.

"Yeah!"

---

AN: Review Please! Tell me what you think.


	3. Chapter Two: Graduation

Disclaimer: ~I don't own Naruto~

AN: Sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes (I hate commas and they hate me!). Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated (like telling me if I should continue with this story or if this story sucks and I should just stop). I'll also try to work on making the chapters longer because I know that I write short chapters.

**Chapter Two: Graduation**

"Alright today is the exam that will dictate if you will graduate and become genin. There will be a written exam to test your knowledge, a weapons exam to test your accuracy with throwing weapons, a taijutsu exam to determine your strength, and finally, a ninjutsu test that will show you chakra capacity and chakra control," said a man with a scar across his nose who had brown hair that was pulled up into a pony tail.

"We will begin with the written exam. Iruka and myself will begin to pass out the test," said Mizuki-sensei. The reactions of the students throughout the classroom followed the end of Mizuki's statement.

"Aww man."

"What?!"

"How troublesome."

~Snore~

"Naruto! Wake up!" Iruka called out as he whacked Naruto on the head with some of the test papers he was handing out.

"Eh?? Oh sorry, Iruka-sensei. It's become an automatic reaction for me to tune you out when you go into lecture mode, and I was kinda tired since I stayed up late helping out with the ramen stand…so I decided to get in a quick nap while you lectured the class about something," said the boy with a sheepish look on his face.

"Naruto! What if you miss something important? I was talking about the genin exam. It's important that you listen," Iruka said.

"Nah, it's fine. I can always ask Shikamaru or Chouji what I missed. They'll usually tell me if it was something important."

Chouji wasn't in hearing range but Shikamaru was, so he just responded with a "Troublesome" when Iruka looked at him.

Iruka decided not to get into it with Naruto today and went back to the front of the classroom.

"Ok, turn your papers over and begin. You have one hour to complete this test. No cheating," Iruka said looking out at the students in the classroom.

Naruto answered the questions he knew on his paper with simple answers. He looked up at a clock that was mounted on the wall and saw he had about fifteen minutes left. Naruto turned his paper over and folded his arms on the table before putting his head on his arms. He couldn't fall back asleep, so he thought back on how he got to this moment.

When Teuchi learned that Naruto had nowhere to go, Teuchi had invited Naruto live with him and his daughter if Naruto agreed to help out with the ramen stand. Ever since that day, Naruto has been taking orders, helping to boil the noodles, cleaning, or whatever he could do to help with the running of the ramen stand that was known as Ichiraku Ramen. When Naruto was working, he would go on and on about how awesome ninjas were and how he wanted to be one. So, about a year after Naruto had moved in with Teuchi and Ayame, Teuchi enrolled Naruto in the ninja academy. Naruto worked in the ramen stand before he had to go to the academy and after he left the academy. Of course, once in a while he would have to stay late at the academy to clean up after a prank he had pulled. Naruto and Teuchi agreed that when Naruto became a ninja, he would help out at Ichiraku Ramen once in a while when he had the chance. Naruto's outfit has changed from the simple white shirt and gray shorts that he use to wear. He now wore a deep red, sleeveless shirt with a black, long-sleeved jacket. His pants were black and a little baggy. Naruto had on the standard ninja sandals only they were black. He still wore the black bandana on his head, although since he grew his hair out a bit, there were spikes of blond hair hanging down by his shoulders.

"Time's up. Pencils down. Come up and turn in your tests on my desk. Once you do that, line up by the door and we will go outside for the weapons and taijutsu tests," said Iruka.

---

Naruto passed the weapon throwing part of the exam with an 8 out of 10 average. He also passed the taijutsu test by pinning Shikamaru to the ground and getting him to give up. Now he was sitting in the room where they had taken the written test. They were being called into a different room for the ninjutsu test. Naruto was well aware that his chakra control sucked, but he was getting better. Iruka had showed him the leaf floating exercise and the tree walking exercise. It had help a lot with his control, but he still couldn't do a Bunshin (Clone). No matter how hard he tried, his clones either looked half-dead or they somehow managed to explode right after he creates them, causing orange paint to go everywhere. How his clones exploded orange paint, he will never know. But he doesn't mind it too much. Orange is his favorite color and the exploding paint clones do make great pranks.

"Naruto, your turn," said Iruka as he came back into the classroom.

Once Naruto was in the room for the ninjutsu testing, Iruka explained what he needed to do.

"Alright Naruto, first you need to perform a Henge (Transformation Technique), then Kawarmi (Replacement Technique) with something in the room, and the last technique you need to perform will be to make three Bunshin. Any questions?" Iruka asked.

"Nope. Alright here I go, Iruka-sensei," said Naruto.

Naruto Henged into a replica of Iruka and then replaced himself with the chair that was in the corner of the room.

"Good job so far Naruto. Now all you need to do is create three Bunshin."

'_Yeah easy for you to say… Oh, well here goes nothing.'_ "Bunshin no Jutsu"

~Poof~

Naruto managed to make two clones except one was lying on the floor, looking dead.

The other clone looked exactly like Nar- ~BOOM, SPLAT~ … Never mind, the clone exploded, turning the area around it orange.

"NARUTO!"

"Ah heh heh… sorry Iruka-sensei, I didn't mean for it to explode. Honest."

"I'm sorry Naruto, but you fail. You got a 50% on the written exam and completely fail on the Bunshin part of the ninjutsu test," Iruka said with a small frown on his face.

"Now, Iruka, maybe we can pass him. I mean, he did excellent on the taijutsu exam and he did get 8 out of 10 with weapon throwing. He can perform Henge and Kawarmi without problems."

"That's not how it works. He failed the written exam and since he couldn't perform one of the techniques, that means he automatically fails the ninjutsu portion of the exam. Overall he passed two tests and failed two tests, that's 50%, still failing. I'm sorry Naruto. You can try again next year."

Naruto turned and ran out of the room. He continued to run outside and decided to sit on a swing that had a view of all the other graduates. Teuchi and Ayame couldn't make it to see him because of the dinner rush. _'Not that it matters,'_ he thought bitterly._ 'I didn't pass anyway.'_

Naruto felt someone come up beside him. When he turned he saw it was Mizuki-sensei.

"Hey, Naruto. I have something that you might be interested in. Follow me. I'll tell you about it somewhere else."

"Okay," Naruto said. _'It's not like I have anything better to do. What's the worst that could happen?'_

---

"What's going on?!" asked a confused Naruto as he got up. Iruka had pushed him away when a barrage of kunai had come flying towards them.

"Good job, you pass. Now give me the scroll," said Mizuki from his perch up in the tree.

"No! Don't give Mizuki the scroll!" exclaimed Iruka as he pulled a kunai out of his leg. "It contains our village secrets along with potentially dangerous, high-level techniques. He used you to get to it."

'_I should have known something was up with the secret exam that Mizuki told me about. I can't believe he tricked me!'_ Naruto thought as he held the Scroll of Sealing.

Mizuki had told him where the scroll was, Mizuki told him about when the ANBU would patrol the halls, and Mizuki also told him about the decoy scroll and the genjutsu that hid the real Scroll of Sealing. It was simple to sneak into the Hokage Tower to get the scroll when he new all that information and hid his chakra. The Fourth Hokage wasn't anywhere near where Naruto needed to go, so he didn't need to worry about facing the Hokage.

"Just hand me the scroll and I might let you live," Mizuki said as he reached into his weapon pouch.

"Come quietly and you might just live," said a voice from the shadows that was right next to Mizuki.

This startled Mizuki, causing him to fall from the tree to the ground. All eyes were on the area where the voice was coming from. As the man stepped out of the shadows, Iruka saw who it was and said in relief, "Hokage-sama."

Two ANBU members appeared next to Mizuki and knocked him out.

"Take him to Ibiki," said the Fourth Hokage.

When the two ANBU members disappeared with Mizuki, the Fourth Hokage turned his attention to Iruka and Naruto.

"Hokage-sama. Mizuki tricked Naruto into thinking that taking the scroll was a secret exam that would allow him to pass and become a genin. Please don't punish him, he didn't know what he was doing. He was betrayed by one of the people he thought was his teacher," Iruka said while holding onto the place in his leg that was pierced by the kunai.

"Yeah, I even learned one of the techniques. I didn't think this scroll was so important. Uhh… Sorry Hokage-sama," Naruto said while handing the Scroll of Sealing to the Fourth Hokage.

"What did you way your name was?" Minato asked when he grabbed the scroll, looking intently at the boy.

"It's Naruto."

"Who are your parents?" the Hokage asked.

"Um, I'm an orphan, but I live with Teuchi Ichiraku… I'm not in too much trouble am I?" Naruto asked looking worried.

"No, you're not in trouble. You were manipulated into taking the scroll and since you've returned it, you won't be punished… Did hear you correctly when you said that you managed to learn a technique from this scroll?"

"Yeah! I did."

"Since you managed to infiltrate the Hokage Tower and evade the guards, I'll pass you as a genin of the Hidden Leaf Village if you show me what you've learned from the Scroll of Sealing," Minato said, interested to see if Naruto really did manage to learn anything from the Scroll of Sealing.

"Okay, you asked for it… Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!"

~Poof~

And with that, Minato and Iruka were suddenly surrounded by about a hundred solid Naruto clones.

"Holy sh-," the Fourth Hokage said in surprise before he cut himself off. Iruka was between being proud of Naruto and being shocked at the technique he just preformed.

"Well, congratulations kid. You are now a genin of the Village of Konoha. Come back with me to my office. I'll get you a forehead proctor and then I want to ask you a few questions. Iruka, you might want to stop by the hospital to get that wound taken care of."

"OH YEAH!!! I'm a ninja!" Naruto exclaimed while jumping around.

"Come on, Naruto. Let's get going. I don't want to spend the night out here," Minato said as he and Iruka began to walk out of the forest.

"Right. I'm coming," Naruto said as he dispelled the technique and ran to catch up.

---

AN: Review Please! What do you think so far???


	4. Chapter Three: My Son

Disclaimer: ~I don't own Naruto~

AN: Sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes (I hate commas and they hate me!). Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated (like telling me if I should continue with this story or if this story sucks and I should just stop). I'll also try to work on making the chapters longer because I know that I write short chapters.

**Chapter Three: My Son**

Minato sighed as he watched the young, blond Genin leave his office. He had given up hope that anything like what had just occurred in his office a few minutes ago would ever happen.

It had started out like any other ordinary day. He had breakfast with Kushina, then came to his office, started doing his daily paperwork and helping to assign missions, had a quick lunch break, then continued assigning missions and finishing his paperwork. It was late in the evening and the Fourth Hokage, who was still in his office, was putting some finishing touches on a seal he had been working on for the past few weeks. Minato had decided to surprise Kushina by taking her out for dinner this evening. Just as he was leaving, an ANBU member appeared in front of him, telling him that someone stole the Scroll of Sealing. The Fourth Hokage had called all the available ninja to search for the scroll and the thief.

Soon, he and the two ANBU members who came with him to search the forest, heard voices and went to investigate. They saw what was happening between one teacher, Mizuki, and another teacher, Iruka, with an academy student caught in the middle. After listening to the conversation and getting the gist of what had happened, Minato decided to jump in.

After Mizuki was apprehended, the Fourth Hokage saw heard Iruka talking about how the student had been tricked and was innocent. He didn't really pay attention to the kid with the scroll until Iruka said the kid's name. While keeping his face blank, Minato looked at the child, and found himself looking into blue eyes that mirrored his own. _'Naruto,'_Minato thought. _'It couldn't be.'_

Once he had gotten the Scroll of Sealing back and saw the amount of chakra he could use, Minato was almost certain that the boy, Naruto, was his son. Minato decided that he would ask Naruto a few questions first to be sure and then check for the seal.

**~{Flashback}~**

Once Minato and Naruto had arrived at Minato's office. The Fourth Hokage asked Naruto wait a minute while he looked for a forehead proctor. While Minato was looking in his desk, he was discreetly looking at Naruto. He thought that Naruto would be nervous since it was the first time that Naruto had been in the Hokage's office and the kid had just stolen a very important scroll although he said Naruto wouldn't be punished. Naruto should be fidgeting nervously or looking down or standing respectfully still, instead he looked like he was just barely containing himself from jumping around the room.

When he found the forehead proctor that he was looking for, Minato handed it to Naruto. Then both Minato and Naruto sat down, Minato behind the desk and Naruto in front of it. On the way to his office, Minato had cleared up what had happened between Mizuki and Naruto. Now all he had to do was find the correct questions to ask. _'I don't think that saying something along the lines of 'Hey Naruto, I think you're my son. Can I see if you have a gigantic fox demon sealed in you to be sure?' would be the best thing to ask.'_

Minato's attention drifted back to the child sitting in front of him. Naruto had taken off his black bandana to reveal blond spiky locks that were similar to Minato's. Once Naruto had finished tying his forehead proctor on his head, he turned his attention back to the Fourth Hokage.

"So… can I leave? Or did you have some other stuff you wanted to ask me about?" asked the young blond boy.

"Yes, I want to ask you about your name. It's quite unusual. Did your parents name you that?" the Fourth Hokage inquired.

"Err… as I said before, I'm an orphan, so I never knew my parents. Teuchi found me and let me live with him as long as I help out in his ramen stand. He and I decided on my name. But I'm NOT named after fishcake, because it would be kinda lame to be named after that, no matter how good it tastes. My name means maelstrom. It's just a coincidence that the Ichiraku Ramen serves fishcake in their ramen. Because I am definitely not named after fishcake."

"You want to know something? My son was named Naruto. Although he was named after a character in a book who never gave up," said Minato.

"Really?" exclaimed Naruto. Everyone knew that the Sandaime sacrificed his life to seal away the Kyuubi. The demon was sealed in the Fourth Hokage's son, but it was said that the child died. Naruto didn't remember hearing about what the infant's name was, but he might have been sleeping during that particular lecture at the academy.

"Yes. You look similar to what my son looked like. Spiky blond hair, blue eyes," the Fourth Hokage said while looking at Naruto who was staring at Minato.

"Hey, we do kinda look alike," said Naruto.

"Naruto, that jutsu you preformed, the Kage Bunshin, it takes up a lot of chakra, most Jounin can't even manage more than ten without getting winded, but you made about a hundred and your not even tired."

"What are you getting at?" asked Naruto, slightly confused.

"I… I would like to check to see if you have a seal on you that could be helping to give you your huge charka reserves," the Fourth Hokage said.

"You wanna check…" Naruto started to say before he trailed off, connecting the dots and realizing what the Fourth Hokage was getting at.

"You think that… that I'm your son?! I thought he died. Why would I be him? I mean I couldn't be. It wouldn't be possible. I think I would know if there was a fox demon inside me. Right? I'm just an orphan, dead last of my class. I couldn't be your son. Could I?"

"I know it's a shock, but I think you are. If not then it is a huge coincidence. I want to see if the seal is on you," said Minato as he got up and came around the desk to stand in front of Naruto. Naruto also stood up then asked, "What if it's not there? What if I'm not your son?"

"Then I would be sorry for bringing this up. But I truly think that you are my son, Naruto," Minato said. He then asked, "Will you lift up your shirt and begin to gather some chakra? If you have the seal then it would appear on your stomach."

"Alright," said Naruto. He lifted his shirt up and gathered his chakra as he looked at his stomach. Just as soon as he started gathering chakra a seal appeared. Both Minato and Naruto looked at the seal in shock before it faded away when Naruto lost his concentration.

"I… it's… that's really… I'm really your…" Naruto managed to say before he sunk down into his seat, his eyes wide with shock at what was discovered.

'_That was the Shiki Fuuin. It really is him, Naruto, my son. After searching and then eventually having to give up, pronouncing him dead, Naruto was really alive in the village and going to the academy. I'll admit that ever since I lost my son I haven't paid that much attention to the academy students. It was like an open wound to see the children of others but knowing that I had lost my own. Maybe if I had paid better attention to the academy students. I would have found out about Naruto sooner' _Minato thought as he looked at Naruto who was standing back up again. Naruto looked up at the Fourth Hokage and then turned, heading to the door.

"Naruto, wait! I -," said Minato before Naruto cut him off.

"I, well, this is a lot to take in. You being my… father. Then knowing that I have a huge demon living in my gut. It's just… let me have some time to think. I'm gonna go back to Teuchi and Ayame, they're probably worried about me. But I promise I'll see you sometime this week. But I just really need some time. It's just way too much for me to take in all at once like this. But there is one thing I'd like to ask… is my mother still alive?"

"Yes she is. Her name is Kushina," Minato said.

"Alright. I'm going to go now. I'll see you later…." Naruto trailed off thinking_ 'What do I call him now? Hokage-sama? Minato-sama? Father? Dad? Old Man? I don't know if I'm ready to call anyone father or dad.'_

Naruto then turned and walked out the door, leaving the Fourth Hokage watching his back as he left.

**~{End Flashback}~**

Now all that Minato needed to do would be to explain all this to Kushina. He wondered if he should wait until Naruto came to terms with all this. Minato himself was still in a joyful type of shock. He knew that if he told his wife, Kushina would run to snatch up Naruto and not let him go. As much as he wants to tell Kushina about their son, he should probably wait until Naruto came to him.

---

AN: Love it? Hate it? What do you think? … Yeah, I know that this chapter is shorter than the other ones but, oh well, I'll try to write a longer one for next chapter.


	5. Chapter Four: Meeting Mom

Disclaimer: ~I don't own Naruto~

AN: Sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes (I hate commas and they hate me!). Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated (like telling me if I should continue with this story or if this story sucks and I should just stop). I'll also try to work on making the chapters longer because I know that I tend to write short chapters.

**Chapter Four: Meeting Mom**

Naruto awoke to the bright sunlight shining in his face. He groaned and rolled over, pulling the covers over his head as he turned. Just as he was starting to fall back asleep, someone started knocking on his bedroom door.

"Hey, Naruto! Get up sleepy head. You don't want to sleep until lunch time do you?"

Naruto stuck his head back out from under the covers and looked at the door. He then turned away from the door and went back under his covers. _'Sleeping 'til lunch… that sounds like a good idea to me.'_

"Come on, Naruto," the voice called from beyond his bedroom door. "If you don't get up now, it'll be too late for you to eat any breakfast."

"No! I'm up! I'm up!" Naruto exclaimed as he tried to get out of his bed. Tried being the keyword. Somehow he had gotten completely tangled up in his sheets and when he tried to get out of the bed, he fell on the ground.

"Oww…"

He heard some giggling from behind his door as he stood up and glared at the traitorous sheets that attempted to confine him to his bed.

"Don't laugh, Ayame-nee-chan. It's not funny!" Naruto said as he walked across his room and open the door, revealing Ayame standing there with a smile on her face.

"Sorry, Naruto. It may not be funny to you, but it is to me. Once you get out of your pajamas, come down to the kitchen and eat your breakfast. Don't rush yourself and fall again or something. Dad just made it so it'll still be hot when you come down," Ayame said with a smile before she turned and walked back down the hall towards the kitchen.

Naruto pouted a little at what she said. He then turned and went back into his room so he could get ready and get some breakfast.

---

After Naruto had finished eating, he decided to go on a walk. The reason he was going on a walk was because Teuchi said that it was a slow day in the ramen stand, so Naruto didn't need to help out. Another reason why he was talking a walk was so that he could think some things through.

It had been three days since the whole Mizuki incident. His life changed because of that night. He graduated, becoming a ninja and that is life changing, but he also found out about his birthparents and the gigantic demon fox that was sealed inside him.

Naruto soon found himself walking on the path that leads to the top of the Hokage Mountain. As he continued to walk up the path, he was focusing on the last two faces that were carved onto the mountain. The Third Hokage was regarded as a hero for giving his life to stop the raging Kyuubi. The Fourth Hokage's child was also regarded as a hero for having the Kyuubi sealed inside of him, then dying, taking the Kyuubi with him. But since Naruto is that child, what does that make him? Naruto then focused on the last face carved into the mountain. The Fourth Hokage, his father. He had told the Fourth Hokage that he'd be back to speak with him within the week, but he still was unsure of what to do.

Once he starts doing missions and makes enough money from completing those missions, Naruto was going to buy his own apartment. It wasn't that he didn't want to live with Teuchi and Ayame, but he didn't want to wake them if he had missions at weird hours or worry them if he came back wounded. But now that the Fourth told him that he was Naruto's father, would that mean Minato wanted Naruto to move in with him and his mother?

_'The only person that I would've considered as a father would be Teuchi, but I don't call him father or anything. I call him Old Man, even though he keeps saying he's not that old. I've never really had someone who I'd consider like a mother to me, Ayame is more like my sister that anything else. How do I act around Kushina and Minato? Do I call them mom and dad, mother and father, Kushina-san and Minato-sama, Lady and Old Man? Well, I know enough that I probably shouldn't call Kushina, Lady.'_

Naruto looked around and saw that he had made it to the top of the Hokage Mountain. He looked down at the village below him and saw that it was still the same as ever. People in the marketplace buying goods, some people going into restaurants, others continuing to walk and talk to some of the people they knew, there were even some ninjas that were jumping on the roof tops. _'I can't put off meeting with the Hokage, well I could but it wouldn't be very productive. I'll go to his office now and do what I do best in complicated situations like this. I'll just wing it and see how it turns out.'_

With that thought, Naruto nodded to himself and leapt away, making his way towards the Hokage Tower. He knows that his life will change after this day, but whether it will be for the good or for the bad, he doesn't know.

---

'_It would've been a whole lot easier if I could've just walked up the side of the building, instead of having to climb up all those stairs. Ever since Iruka-sensei taught me the tree-walking exercise, I've just been skipping any long stairways and I just walk up the walls. It's a whole lot quicker._' Naruto thought when he made it to the top floor where the Hokage's office was located. As Naruto tried to go through the doors to the Hokage's office, the two chuunin guarding the door stopped him.

"You can't just barge into the Hokage's office, kid," said one of the guards.

"I'm not a kid! I'm a genin," Naruto said as he pointed to his forehead proctor. "Besides the Hokage wanted to see me."

"Really? So do you have an appointment with him?" the other guard asked Naruto.

"Well no, not exactly. But we agreed that I'd see him sometime this week. So technically, I do have an open appointment type thing with him."

"If you don't have an appointment then you need to leave and make one with one of the ninjas on the second floor. The Fourth Hokage is a busy man and doesn't have time to…"

The rest of the guard's statement was cut off as the door to the Hokage's office opened and the Hokage himself was standing in the doorway.

"Hokage-sama," the guards said respectfully.

Minato had heard some talking on the other side of the door and decided to check it out. Even if it wasn't important it might be something to get him a few moments of free time from doing paperwork. He didn't expect the commotion on the other side of his door to be his son.

"Come in, Naruto," Minato said, inclining his head to indicate that Naruto should follow him back into his office.

When the Hokage turned back around, Naruto followed him, but not before he stuck his tongue out at the two guards.

---

An awkward silence filled the room once both Naruto and Minato sat down. Naruto was fidgeting in his seat and Minato kept straitening the same pile of papers. After a few minutes, Naruto cleared his throat and asked, "So… what happens now?"

"That depends on you. I know that you've been living your life without the influence of your mother or me and if you want to continue that way, pretending that the information that we found on the night of your graduation was never found, I'll understand. I may not like it but I will understand."

"What about Kushina? Would she understand if I did that, pretending I didn't know who my par… who you guys are?"

"I haven't told Kushina about you yet, Naruto. I didn't want her or yourself to be hurt if the outcome of your choice would be to act like we weren't related."

Neither of them said anything for a while. They both were thinking of what could happen from this point on. After a few minutes of silence, Naruto thought, _'I hadn't made up my mind on what to do before I got here, I was just going to wing it. Well I am winging it and I do know that I'll probably regret it if I pass up the chance to have a mom and dad. Teuchi and Ayame will still be my family and I do enjoy living with them, but I… I'm going to meet my mother and see how things go from there.'_

"So… when do I meet my mom?" Naruto asked as he looked up at Minato.

The Fourth Hokage let out a relived sigh and smiled as he asked, "Now, if you'd like to?"

"Sure."

---

Kushina knew that there had been something that was bothering her husband for the past few days. It started when he didn't come home that one night and instead came home in the early morning. _'I know something is up, but he won't tell me anything about it. He just brushes it off and says it's nothing to be concerned about right now' _

"Oh well, I'll find out eventually. He can never keep a secret from me for too long. Isn't that right, Sweetie?" Kushina asked her three year old as she tickled her. The child just giggled before she yawned. Kushina reached over and picked her up.

"It looks like your getting sleepy, Mai-chan. I think it's time for a nap," Kushina said as she began to take her sleepy child up the stairs.

When she had gotten Mai to lie down to take her nap, Kushina heard the front door opening. _'Minato didn't tell me he was coming home early. I wonder what's going on.'_

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard Minato talking to someone in their living room. When Kushina stepped into the room she saw her husband turn towards her and smile. She saw a blond haired boy standing next to Minato. Actually the boy almost looked like a mini clone of Minato. Wondering who the boy was, Kushina gave her husband a curious look.

Sensing the question, Minato gave what he hoped to be a reassuring smile to Naruto before answering Kushina's unasked question.

"Kushina, this is Naruto," Minato said, and when Naruto gave him a nod, he continued by saying four words that were sure to make a stunning impact on his wife.

"He is our son."

---

AN: Dun, dun, dun…. Cliffhanger! …Also, I know I haven't updated this story in about a month but I went on vacation, and then school started. Between school and homework and chores… I really haven't had much time to update any of my stories. Sorry...


	6. Chapter Five: Reactions

Disclaimer: ~I don't own Naruto~

AN: Sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes (I hate commas and they hate me!). Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated (like telling me if I should continue with this story or if this story sucks and I should just stop). I'll also try to work on making the chapters longer because I know that I tend to write short chapters.

**Chapter Five: Reactions**

"He is our son."

Shock and disbelief were coursing through Kushina's thoughts._ 'Naruto? Our son? Is this some kind of joke? Does Minato think that this is funny?! Some random kid claims that he's our son and Minato actually believes him? Minato is the Hokage. I would think that he wouldn't fall for a hoax like this… Well, I guess 'Naruto' does kind of look like Minato… Same eye color, same hair, same chin… he looks like he shares my nose and his ears do kind of look like mine… Oh My God.' _Kushina allowed her self a small bit of hope. _'Is he our son? Could Naruto really be our son?'_

Naruto was beginning to get a little nervous and started shifting his weight from foot to foot. _'She's my mom? But she hasn't done anything yet. I was kinda expecting a reaction of some kind. Kushina just keeps staring at me. It's a little weird… has she even blinked since Minato told her who I was? Wait, she probably doesn't believe that I'm her son. Is she going to yell or kick me out? Will she blame me for trying to pull some kind of sick prank? What if she…'_

Naruto's train of thought stopped as Minato put his hand on Naruto shoulder. Naruto looked up at Minato and saw that Minato was giving him a small smile. It was all the reassurance that Naruto needed._ 'Even if she doesn't believe, I know that Minato knows and believes that I'm their son.'_ Naruto stopped shifting his weight and stood up straight.

Kushina then dropped to the floor on her knees looking between Minato and Naruto. Minato gave Naruto a small squeeze on the shoulder then went to his wife. Kushina watched as Minato approached and got down on his knees beside her.

"Kushina?" Minato asked in a concerned voice as he looked at her.

"Is he really our son?" She asked in a soft whisper.

"Yes, he really is."

Minato turned to look at their son. Naruto looked like he didn't know what to do. He kept glancing back and forth between Kushina and Minato. When he saw Minato look at him, Naruto stared right back. Minato inclined his head to indicate that Naruto should come over to him.

When Naruto reached the spot in front of Kushina, he looked at Minato, and then he also dropped to his knees. Kushina looked at Naruto as if she was trying to memorize all the details of his face. As soon as Naruto gave her a small smile, she reached out and pulled Naruto to her, hugging him as a few tears ran down her face. Naruto returned his mother's hug. Kushina then whispered, "Naruto, my son."

Minato was content to watch the mother/son moment happening in front of him. Finally, after so long, they were reunited with Naruto. After a few moments, Kushina pulled back and looked at Minato with a big smile on her face as she gave small laugh and said, "Come on," Kushina opened one arm out to Minato, her other arm still around Naruto. "You're a part of this too."

Minato joined the hug and for the first time, in a long time, Minato and Kushina felt truly happy.

---

Naruto walked into Ichiraku Ramen and took a seat on one of the stools. It was late at night and the place was empty because it was so close to closing time.

"Hey Old Man, could I have some miso ramen for dinner, since I'm pretty sure I missed dinner with you and Ayame?"

"Sure," Teuchi said as he began prepare a bowl of miso ramen.

"Where have you been? It's not like you to miss out on meals. Are you feeling alright?" Teuchi asked.

"I'm fine," Naruto replied.

"Are you sure you're ok, Naruto?" Ayame asked as she placed a glass of water in front of him.

"Yep, I'm sure."

"Here you go," Teuchi said as he gave Naruto a bowl of miso ramen.

"Thanks," Naruto said as he broke apart his chopsticks and began to dig into his meal.

Teuchi and Ayame began to clean up the stand and once Naruto finished eating his ramen, he helped too. Once they had closed down the shop for the night and were inside their home, Naruto asked for Teuchi and Ayame to sit down.

"You know the night I graduated and came home really late. I had told you that I also found out something but I promised to tell you guys later, when I had it all figured out," Naruto said as he also sat down with them.

"What is it, Naruto?" Ayame asked gently.

"That night, I went back to the Hokage's office and talked to the Hokage. When I was there, I found out who my birthparents were."

"Are they still alive?" Teuchi inquired.

"Yes, both my parents are still alive." Naruto paused for a second before continuing on. "I met my biological father the night of my graduation and today I met my biological mother. Do you want to know something else? I found out that I have a little sister. She's three years old and her name is Mai… Anyway, that's the reason why I was gone for almost the whole day."

"Who are your parents?" Teuchi asked. Naruto was quiet for a little bit before he responded to Teuchi.

"I suppose it's a secret, but I trust you, both of you. My father is Minato Namikaze and my mother is Kushina Namikaze."

"Then you're… that means… what happened to-?" Ayame began to ask before Naruto started to talk again.

"It means that the Fourth Hokage's son didn't die and that I have the Kyuubi sealed inside me. I didn't die, so it didn't die. When I do die, I'll take it with me. I… I can understand if you want me to go. I-"

Naruto didn't get the chance to finish what he was saying before Ayame hugged him and Teuchi interrupted him.

"You're still family and you're still the Naruto we've always known. Nothing will change that."

"Really?" Naruto asked.

"Really," Ayame said.

"They, that is, my… umm… Minato and Kushina want me to move in with them. I know that we talked about me moving into an apartment as soon as I made enough money, but I wanted to know if… err… rather, what you think about me moving in with them. If I decide to move in with them."

"I think that it's great that they want to include you in their lives. I think that you should move in with them and get to know your parents and your little sister. But I want you to know that our door will always be open for you," Teuchi said.

Naruto smiled and nodded his head in response to what Teuchi said. It had been a very emotional day for him and even though he probably didn't look tired, he was. All Naruto wanted to do was go to bed and sleep.

"Why don't you go to bed, Naruto. You look tired. If you still want to talk, we can talk some more in the morning," Ayame said as she looked at Naruto.

'_Huh, I guess I do look tired.'_ "Ok… Goodnight Teuchi, goodnight Ayame," Naruto said as he got up and turned to go to his room.

"Goodnight Naruto."

---

Once Naruto made it to the classroom, he sat down and laid his head down on the desk. It was the day of the team assignments. Naruto had just made it into the classroom before Iruka had. Naruto sat in the closest seat available, which happened to be the seat next to Sakura. It didn't really matter because Sakura was too busy staring at Sasuke, who was sitting on the other side of her, and arguing with Ino, who was sitting behind her, to notice Naruto.

"Congratulations on graduating from the academy and becoming genin of Konoha. This is your first step to-"

Naruto saw that it was going to be a long speech and decided to tune Iruka out and think about other things instead. Naruto had been eating dinner with Minato and Kushina every day since he first day met Kushina. It had been next morning, after the night Naruto had talked with Teuchi and Ayame, that they all thought that Naruto could begin to get to know Minato, Kushina, and Mai by eating dinner with them. They also decided that Naruto could to move in with Minato and Kushina after he found out who his team would be. Minato also said that Naruto being their son should be a secret, until they found some way of telling the villagers without just bluntly coming out and saying it.

Naruto began to listen to Iruka when he heard that Iruka finally was calling out the teams.

"… will be Team Six. Team Seven will be Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto…"

Sakura began to cheer and tease Ino when she found out that she was on Sasuke's team.

"…Team Eight will be Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata, Hyuuga, and Shino Aburame… Team Nine is still in rotation from last year. Team Ten will be Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Chouji Akimichi. I would suggest that you take the time over your lunch break to get to know your teammates. Your new sensei will be here after your lunch break is over."

---

AN: I think that this chapter is kind of short but oh well. I just got done writing a seven page literary analysis essay for my English class (blah!) and I didn't really feel like writing but I figured I should update at least one of my stories.

*~Remember to Review please~*


	7. Chapter Six: My Sensei

Disclaimer: ~I won't lie… I really don't own Naruto~

AN: Sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes (I hate commas and they hate me!). Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated (like telling me if I should continue with this story or if this story sucks and I should just stop). I'll also try to work on making the chapters longer because I know that I tend to write short chapters.

**Chapter Six: My Sensei**

"Where is our sensei?! He's soooo late! Even Iruka-sensei has left!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Quiet Naruto! I'm sure our sensei has a perfectly good excuse for running late. Maybe he was summoned by the Hokage or is just getting back from a mission. He wouldn't be this late and have some type of lame excuse," said the pink haired girl who was sitting in a desk near Sasuke.

"Yeah right Sakura-chan. No one would be this late… our sensei probably forgot about us or something," Naruto mumbled under his breath as he poked his head out the door of the classroom.

"You say something, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"No, nothing at all."

"Hn."

"Shut up, Sasuke!"

"Don't tell Sasuke-kun to shut up!"

Naruto pouted a little at what Sakura said and then started glaring at Sasuke. Sasuke glared back and said, "Idiot."

"Bastard," retorted Naruto

"Don't call Sasuke-kun a bastard!"

"But Sakura-chaaaan… he started it!"

Sakura then crossed her arms and glared at Naruto.

"Fine," Naruto said as he turned towards the chalkboard. After a few minutes of silence and boredom, Naruto decided to do something. _'Dusty chalkboard eraser… Check. Late sensei… Check. Grounds for a prank… Check. Operation "Major Dandruff" is a go!'_

As Naruto grabbed a chalkboard eraser and pulled a chair over to the classroom door, he got Sakura's attention and she asked, "What are you doing now, Naruto?"

"Our sensei is late and he needs to learn what happens when you make me, well us, wait for him for hours upon hours," said Naruto while he was focused on placing the chalkboard eraser in the opened crack of the door.

"It's only been two hours, moron," Sasuke said, looking at Naruto with disinterest.

"Yeah, well, that's two hours too many, bastard," Naruto said as he jumped down off the chair and wiped his hands on his pants.

"Quit calling Sasuke-kun that!" Sakura said as she got up out of her seat and started to walk over to Naruto.

"I'm just saying it like it is. Come on Sakura-chan, you know he's always acting like a stuck up bast-"

"I'm right in front of you, you idiot. Stop talking about me like I'm not here. Besides, I hear someone coming. He's probably our sensei, so sit down and shut up," Sasuke said as he glared at Naruto.

Naruto started staring at Sasuke with wide eyes and his mouth open. After a few seconds, Naruto said, "Whoa… that's like, the most I've ever heard you say at one time. Oh no! Is the world coming to an end? Are we go-"

"Knock it off, Naruto!" Sakura said as she bopped him on the head.

"Oww! Why'd ya have to hit me Sakura-chan?!"

"Hn, idiot."

"What was that you bas-"

"Shut up, Naruto! Quit annoying Sasuke-kun!"

"I'm not annoying him, he's annoying me by being a…"

The door was opened, interrupting Naruto before he could finish his thought. A man who had gravity-defying, white hair and was wearing the typical jounin uniform and a facemask with his leaf forehead protector slanted over one eye poked his head in the door. The chalkboard eraser hit the man on the head then fell to the floor. As the man walked in the classroom, he bent down to pick up the eraser.

"I'm so sorry. We tried to stop Naruto, but-" Sakura said while Naruto was laughing in the background. Before she could finish what she was saying, the man interrupted her.

"Hmmm… so you're Team Seven? Well, my first impression of you three is… you're all a bunch of idiots. Meet me on the roof in five minutes," the sensei of team seven said before he disappeared.

"If we get in trouble because of you, Naruto…" Sakura said in warning as she followed Sasuke out of the classroom.

"Man, I hope this doesn't turn out to be one of those day," Naruto said quietly as he turned to follow the rest of his team up to the roof.

Before he even got out of the classroom, Naruto suddenly paused and exclaimed, "Hey! He didn't even give us an excuse for why he was so late!"

---

When Team Seven made it to the roof of the academy, they found their sensei leaning on the railing. Their sensei gestured for them to sit down on the steps, so they did. Sasuke sat on in the middle on the top step; Sakura sat on the middle step to Sasuke's right; Naruto also sat on the middle step, but he was on Sasuke's left. Once they were all seated, their sensei began talking.

"Ok, first things first. Let's introduce ourselves. Why don't you tell us your likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams for the future. "

"Will you go first, sensei? Show us how we're supposed to introduce ourselves," Sakura said.

"Fair enough… My name is Kakashi Hatake. I have no intention of telling you my likes or dislikes. As for my dream… hmm… I have many hobbies."

"The only thing we found out about him is his name," whispered Sakura while Naruto nodded his head in agreement.

"Alright, your turn Pinkie," Kakashi said as he nodded to her.

Sakura glared at the name then stated, "My name is Sakura Haruno. What I like is… well, the person I like is…~giggle~… My hobbies are… umm… Well, my dreams of the future… ~giggle/squeal~ …"

"And your dislikes?" Kakashi prompted.

"Naruto!"

"Whaaa?!" Naruto exclaimed with a pout.

"Ok, Mr. Silence, you next," Kakashi said as he nodded to Sasuke.

"I have very few things I like and many things I dislike. My hobbies are none of your concern. As for my dream… it's not really a dream, for I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan and kill a certain someone," Sasuke stated as he glared at nothing in particular.

"Hmm, your up, Blondie," Kakashi said as he nodded to the last member of Team Seven.

"My name is Naruto, I don't know my surname." _'Actually, I do. My real name is Naruto Namikaze.'_

"I like the ramen at Ichiraku's, comparing different types of ramen, and training." _'I also like training with Minato, Kushina's cooking, and playing with my little sister.'_

"I don't like the three minutes it takes to prepare ramen, people who pick on others, and traitors." _'I also don't like that I have to keep a secret about who my family is and that I have to meet Minato and Kushina in secret.'_

"And my dream is to be the greatest Hokage ever!" _'My other dream has already been fulfilled because I found out who my parents are and that they didn't abandon me.'_

"Now that we've gotten to know each other a little better, we can get on with your genin test."

"But, sensei… we're already genin," Sakura said.

"Yeah, we already passed the test. See, we have our forehead protectors," Naruto said as he pointed at his own forehead protector.

"That test was just to weed out those who would be hopeless. Your real genin test will be given to you by me and I will decide if you become genin or not," Kakashi said as he looked at each of the three potential genin.

"Whatever the test is, I know I will pass it!" Naruto exclaimed.

Kakashi just started to chuckle at Naruto exclamation.

"What's so funny sensei?" Sakura asked.

"I don't think you want to know…" Kakashi said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"No, we do. What are you laughing at sensei," Naruto asked.

"Well, of those who passed the genin test at the academy, only thirty-three percent will pass the real genin test. The other sixty-six percent will be sent back to the academy."

After pausing to let what he had just said sink in, Kakashi began to speak again as he took out three papers from his vest and handed them to the three possible genin.

"You will report to training ground seven at six o'clock sharp. This handout will tell you what you need to bring… Oh, and if I may give you some advice, don't eat breakfast."

"What?! Why not?" Naruto asked.

"I wouldn't eat any breakfast unless you want to just throw it back up during your test. See you tomorrow," Kakashi said with an eye smile before he disappeared.

"Hn," Sasuke said as he got up and began to leave.

"Sasuke-kun, wait up for me!" Sakura said as she turned and raced after him.

Naruto sighed at being left behind by his teammates before he also got up and left the roof.

---

"This is the last box. Where would you like me to put it?" Minato asked his son as he walked in to Naruto's room.

The past few days Minato and Kushina had been fixing up a room for Naruto to stay in when he started to live with them. Naruto gave his opinions about what he wanted his room to look like and helped Minato and Kushina with his room when he could. The room had dark wooden furniture with his walls painted orange with dark blue trim. Today, after Naruto finally got back from his team assignments, they began to move all Naruto's stuff into his room.

"What's in it?" Naruto asked. He was busy putting up the pictures he brought with him. One of the pictures had was of him and Iruka-sensei but the others were mainly of him, Teuchi, and Ayame.

"This one's all clothes," Minato said as looked into the box.

"Umm… could you set them down by the closet?" Naruto asked as he turned to face his father.

"Sure. Do you need any help unpacking?" asked Minato as he put the box down.

"Yeah, that'd be nice."

As Naruto was putting away his trinkets and photos, Minato was putting away Naruto's clothes. After a few minutes of work, they both finished. Naruto laid down on his bed and closed his eyes as Minato sat down beside him.

"Can you smell that? I think your mom's beginning to make dinner," Minato said as he looked at his son.

"Mmhm… It smell good," Naruto said.

A few minutes passed in silence before Naruto began to talk again.

"Dad?" Naruto asked with his eyes still closed.

Naruto calling him dad shocked Minato. Ever since Naruto found out who he and Kushina were, Naruto still opted to call them by their names. Minato understood why, it was a big change for Naruto, who didn't have anyone to call mom or dad when he was growing up.

"What is it, son?" Minato asked softly.

"Did… no never mind. It's not important," Naruto said as he rolled over on his side, facing away from Minato.

"No, go on. What did you want to ask?" Minato asked as he put his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto stayed still for a few seconds before he turned back to Minato and opened his eyes. He stared up at Minato as he asked, "Did you feel obligated to let me live with you and mom, or was it done out of guilt or pity or something else?"

Minato almost flinched at the question. As he thought about it, he knew why Naruto might think something like that. It had been awkward around the house when Naruto was there. It was because either he or Kushina didn't know how to act or what to say, or because they were watching him, afraid that if they turned the other way he might disappear and not come back.

"We love you, Naruto. That is why we want you to live with us. You're our son, my son. I want you near so that I can protect you. I know that we weren't there for you when you were growing up, and that is my greatest regret. Not being able to spend those times with you. Not being able to hear your first words or see your first steps. Not being able to take you to the academy or help you with homework. I know we weren't there for you before, but your mother and I are here for you now. It's not out of duty or guilt or pity that we want you with us, but out of love," Minato said as he pushed some hair out of his son's face.

"Really?" Naruto asked with watery eyes.

"Really," Minato said with a small smile.

As Naruto opened his mouth to say something else, Kushina called out, "Dinner's ready! Hurry up and get down here before Mai and I eat it all!"

Naruto opened his mouth again to say something, but this time his stomach interrupted him by growling loudly. Naruto sat up and laughed sheepishly before he said, "I guess I'm really hungry."

Naruto got out of the bed and ran through the open door, calling back behind him, "Race ya to the table dad!"

Minato smiled before he got up and called back to Naruto, "I am the Yellow Flash. Are you really challenging me to a race?"

All Minato got back in response was laughter.

---

"Where the hell is Kakashi-sensei?! We've been here since six o'clock and it's been at least four or more hours," Naruto exclaimed from where he was sitting.

"Stop complaining, Naruto. It's getting annoying," Sakura said. _'But for once I do agree with Naruto. Where the hell is Kakashi-sensei?! He is really late! Sensei better have a good excuse'_

"Hn."

"Shut up, you bast-"

"Don't start calling Sasuke-kun names again, Naruto!" Sakura said.

"~sigh~… I am sooo bored! Whenever Kakashi-sensei gets here he better have a really, really good excuse for making us wait this long," Naruto said as he got up to stretch his legs.

Suddenly there was a poof of smoke. When the smoke cleared, Kakashi was standing there.

"YOUR LATE!" Naruto and Sakura both yelled.

Kakashi just waved and said, "Yo! Sorry I'm late, but when I went to leave my house this morning I couldn't find my shoes, so I had to search the entire village in my slippers before I finally remembered that I had left my shoes under my bed. But you know how bad the mid-morning traffic is like in the market place so it took me even longer to make my way through the crowds of people to get back to my house to obtain my shoes and put them on and then make my way back through the crowds of people."

All three potential genin had the exact same thought, _'Is he just trying to be funny or is he actually serious?'_

"Well, now that we're all here, we can get to your genin test," Kakashi said as he pulled out an alarm clock and two bells.

"This alarm clock is set to go off at noon. That will give you an hour and a half to get these two bells from me. Those who do not get a bell by noon will be tied to one of the posts and watch as I eat lunch in front of them," Kakashi explained.

'_So that's why he told us not to eat breakfast,_' was what the three possible genin thought as their stomachs growled.

"You'll have to come at me with intent to kill if you want to have a chance at getting these bells," Kakashi said as he tied the bells to his belt.

"But sensei, what if we hurt you?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, you couldn't even dodge that chalkboard eraser," Naruto said.

"Those who can't do much usually speak out the loudest, and thus they are safe to ignore," said Kakashi.

"Why don't you ignore this!" Naruto said as he pulled out a kunai to charge his sensei.

Before Naruto could even move, Kakashi was standing behind him holding the hand that held the kunai to the back of Naruto's head.

"Although you went about it the wrong way, you did have intent to kill. You know what? I think I'm beginning to like you guys. The test will begin on my mark... Go!" Kakashi said as he let go of Naruto.

The three genin disappeared into the trees. The official genin test of Team Seven had started.

---

AN: Sorry for the late update. I know it's been over a month, but I've had a lot of schoolwork to do (speeches, essays, foreign lang., trig equations, and chem. labs… it's all a little overwhelming). Any way I'd like to thank all of you reader who review (Thank You!). I'll try harder to update sooner.


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